Colony by Benjamin Cross (ready player one ebook .TXT) 📗

the other two crushed into the storage space behind the seat, he fought to recall Peterson’s instructions.

“First you’ll need power. This ain’t no go-kart we’re talking about, so there’s nothing as basic as an ignition key. What there is is a lever, right of the steering wheel…”

With several to choose from, Callum took hold of the most conspicuous lever, depressed the thumb-button and eased it forward. To his relief, there was a whirring sound as the sub powered up. Lights came on around the control panel and the on-board computer screen initiated. It flashed up a number of status bars at regular intervals, presumably relating to fuel, battery, compressed oxygen and other finite reserves. Though the annotations were in Russian, all of the levels looked comfortably high.

An electronic voice boomed into the cabin.

“What did it say?” he asked Darya.

“He says that the life support systems are on standby. Temperature is set to fifteen degrees.”

The electronic voice sounded again and the screen turned into a numeric keypad.

“Now he says to enter destination coordinates.”

“Shit, I’ve no idea. Isn’t there a map search function?”

Darya leant forward and tapped at the touch screen with her good hand. After a few tries, a map flashed up and zoomed in on what Callum recognised as the Franz Josef Land archipelago. As she continued typing, a crosshair appeared over Alexandra Land, an island to the west. The Nagurskoye outpost was located at the northern tip.

“That’s it!” he shouted.

“Next you’ll wanna unhitch yourself from the rock. Near as I could tell, there’s a lever, bottom left of the console…”

“There should be a lever that releases the anchors.” Callum pointed to the row of switches bottom left. “I think it’s one of these. Can you read the labels?”

Darya scanned across them, mouthing the words written in small black letters beneath each. Her hand came to rest beside the one furthest left. “Anchor engage, disengage,” she read, lifting the guard flap and flipping the revealed switch. There was a crunching sound as the two anchor arms detached themselves from the rock and retracted back within the body of the sub.

They were floating. No longer stabilised, the craft began swaying on the surface of the water.

“Look!” Ava shouted, pointing back towards the beach.

The three of them stared towards shore. A single female creature peered back from on top of the bluffs. Eyeing the craft with interest, she raised her head and called out. Her heated breath beat into the air, and within seconds an entire horde had flocked to her side.

“This thing’s hi-tech, so there’s no dive function. Way I figure it, you’ll just take her down using the steering. The air supply, CO2 filter and dehumidifier systems must be sensor-activated. Soon as the ballast tanks start to flood I’ll wager they come on automatic…”

“Let’s hope you’re right,” Callum whispered.

The first of the Troodons had leapt the five or six metres from the top of the rocks and smashed into the shingle. Regaining its balance, the creature shook its feathers and called out once again. One by one, the others followed, raining down like meteors onto the shore beside her.

Callum nudged the throttle forward. The side fins extended and the sub began to move.

“You must hurry!” Darya shouted.

Ignoring Peterson’s corpse, the creatures raced straight to the edge of the water. One after another they dived in, their streamlined bodies coursing towards the sub.

Callum lifted the steering wheel and the nose dipped down into the water.

“It’s working!” Within seconds the craft was fully submerged, and there was a loud hiss as the life support systems kicked in. The world ahead was clear for a distance of ten metres or so, after which it was a murky blur.

Callum eased the throttle up another few increments and they began to gather speed: ten… fifteen… twenty knots…

Something collided with the stern.

Ava screamed out.

…thirty knots…

The craft shook as another impact sounded. Claws scraped against the exterior panelling and a warning siren went off, sending the cabin into chaos.

“Go!” Darya leant forward, grasped Callum’s hand in hers and shoved the throttle to maximum.

The sub’s engine roared. Its thrusters flared and the craft burst forward.

Chapter 21 Loch Ness

1

Callum was forced back into his chair, struggling to control the sub as it tore through the narrow gap between the cove’s headlands and sped out to sea. The force of the acceleration was incredible. Within seconds, the speed dial was registering seventy… eighty… ninety knots and climbing.

On the GPS navigation monitor, he could see the little white blip leaving the shores of Harmsworth behind. Then the auto-guidance system took over, rotating them smoothly onto a westerly bearing. He held his breath. Time seemed to rush past on the slipstream.

“Have we lost them?” Ava shouted.

Darya turned and peered out through the rear screen. “I think, yes,” she replied at last. “I cannot see them now. We are too fast.”

“You can say that again!” Callum said.

By now, their speed was just under 110 knots, 127 miles per hour. Callum was sweating with the effort of holding them level. But they were doing it. They were escaping.

He waited another thirty seconds before finally easing off on the throttle.

Ninety knots… eighty knots… seventy… sixty… fifty…

At around forty knots, he released the throttle lever and maintained speed. The warning siren faded out and, besides the low hum of the engine, only Ava’s sobbing now broke the silence in the cabin.

They cruised on without a word, until, gradually, the new reality began to sink in: Harmsworth was behind them. The realisation overcame Callum in a sudden rush. It was unlike anything that he had ever felt before. In that instant, everything that had happened, all the pain, all the heartache, all the horror, was forgotten, and he threw his head back and howled with joy.

Behind him Darya joined in. Her broken wrist must have hurt like hell. But that too was forgotten as she reached her good arm across his chest and kissed him again and again and again until the side of his face was